This section provides an overview of:

• The International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation (IHTSDO)SNOMED International
• Members of IHTSDO and National Release Centers
• IHTSDO SNOMED International Forums, Advisory Group and Special Interest Groups
• IHTSDO SNOMED International Collaborative Space

Why is this important?

IHTSDO SNOMED International is the international not-for-profit organization that owns and administers SNOMED CT, and owns the rights to SNOMED CT and related terminology standards.

What is this?

SNOMED International the trading name of IHTSDO

 is an association governed by a General Assembly that contains one representative of each of its national Members. For more information about the use of the names SNOMED International and SNOMED International please refer to SNOMED International Adopts Trading Name of SNOMED International Media FAQ.

SNOMED International seeks
IHTSDO seeks to improve the health of humankind by fostering the development and use of suitable standardized clinical terminologies, notably SNOMED CT, in order to support safe, accurate, and effective exchange of clinical and related health information. The focus is on enabling the implementation of semantically accurate health records that are interoperable.

The purpose of IHTSDO is SNOMED International is to develop, maintain, promote and enable the uptake and correct use of its terminology products in health systems, services and products around the world, and undertake any or all activities incidental and conducive to achieving the purpose of the Association for the benefits of the members.

The bodies and forums of IHTSDO are SNOMED International are the foundation for the continuous maintenance, development and distribution of SNOMED CT, and they provide the organizational framework for communication and collaboration between the different parts of the SNOMED CT community.

Members of IHTSDO

IHTSDO now has more than 25 SNOMED International now has 30 national Members. An updated list of the current members can be found at the IHTSDO web SNOMED International web page (http://snomed.org/members/). Members of the IHTSDO can be either an agency of a national government or another body endorsed by an appropriate national government authority within the country it represents. The IHTSDO welcomes SNOMED International welcomes new Members.

The IHTSDO Members pay a fee, based on national wealth, to the IHTSDO SNOMED International which gives them the right to a seat on the General Assembly. IHTSDO does SNOMED International does not charge Affiliate Licensees for use of the SNOMED CT International Edition within Member countries. Licensing is also free in the poorest countries and for certain approved public-good uses in other countries. In other cases, low-cost per-institution charges apply to the use of SNOMED CT in operational systems involved in data creation and/or analysis. All use of SNOMED CT is subject to the acceptance of the terms of the SNOMED CT Affiliate License agreement (http://snomed.org/license.pdf) and the terms of sublicenses issued to end-user organizations by Affiliate Licensees. Members may also impose additional conditions on use of SNOMED CT within their countries. For example, a Member may require licensees to support and include its National Extension in its implementations.

National release centers

IHTSDO Members undertake a range of activities related to their involvement in the IHTSDO and SNOMED International and their role in distributing, extending and supporting the use of SNOMED CT in their country. The organization or agency that coordinates this role in each country is referred to as a National Release Centre (NRC). National Release Centers provide a single point of contact for communications with IHTSDO and SNOMED International and other IHTSDO Members. Within their own countries, NRCs manage the use of SNOMED CT and communicate with a range of stakeholders, including SNOMED CT Affiliate Licensees, healthcare institutions, clinical groups and end users.

Governance

An overview of IHTSDO's governance SNOMED International governance and advisory structures are shown in the following figure.

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General Assembly

The General Assembly is the highest authority in IHTSDO SNOMED International and contains one representative from each of its national Members. The General Assembly is collectively responsible with assuring that the Purpose, Objects and Principles of the Association are pursued and that the interests of IHTSDO SNOMED International are safeguarded. It can make binding decisions regarding all matters relating to IHTSDO, subject to and in accordance with the provisions of the Articles of Association, such as budget, work plan and strategic goals. It is recommended though not required that General Assembly representatives attend all meetings. Face to face meetings occur usually twice per year with occasional teleconferences and electronic voting.

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The Management Board is appointed by the General Assembly. Members have the opportunity to nominate delegates to the Board. The Management Board directs the Association and has the responsibility for key business decisions. It has at least three face-to-face meetings per year with teleconferences between these meetings.

The Management Board also appoints the Chief Executive Officer (CEO), who has day-to-day responsibility for running the organization. A Management Team, with members each responsible for a particular line of business, supports the CEO and directs the work or additional employees.

Advisory bodies

Member Forum

Each IHTSDO Member is entitled to choose a representative to the  the 

The MF is also a means for optimizing the collaboration and coordination among IHTSDO Member countries provides a means for Members to have discussions on specific Member issues. Moreover, the MF facilitates contact and communication between countries with similar foundations, needs, priorities, etc. It is recommended that each Member gets involved with and makes use of the MF.

The MF can raise issues of concern to the Management Board and is asked by the Management Board for specific feedback on items. The MF is the conduit for communicating widely on consultations that IHTSDO SNOMED International may undertake. These consultations may include specific issues related to SNOMED CT content or IHTSDO SNOMED International documents, products and services. The MF is also a key player in determining which IHTSDO SNOMED International work items should be undertaken and prioritized.

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• Member-based nominations are used when IHTSDO SNOMED International seeks to create a forum for IHTSDO SNOMED International staff to work closely with IHTSDO Members. Under this system, Members nominate representatives to serve on an Advisory Group, so the Advisory Group members are representing their Member countries. 
• Standard nominations rely on a standard, open, skills-based nomination process. Advisory Group members selected through this process may submit to IHTSDO SNOMED International any approved travel expenses for reimbursement to attend approved face-to-face Advisory Group events (the IHTSDO SNOMED International Travel Policy has more information about approved expenses and means of submission).

More information about Advisory Groups can be found at http://snomed.org/advisory. 

Special Interest Groups

Clinical Reference Groups

Clinical input to support the development of SNOMED CT is delivered through Clinical Reference Groups. These groups are focused on clinical specialities, with each specialty are having its own Confluence based site. Each site supports discussion and knowledge sharing. Access to the Clinical Reference Groups is though a central Confluence portal focused on clinical engagement activities Special Interest Groups (SIGs) also provide advice issues related to their specific areas relevant to the strategic direction and resulting specific work areas of IHTSDO, its Members and the Community of Practice.
The SIGs are usually open to anyone who is interested in the specific topic area. Most of these groups are Clinical Professional SIGs that cover particular clinical specialties and healthcare disciplines (e.g. nursing, pathology, etc.). Other SIGs may focus on particular areas of activity such as addressing particular implementation challenges. More information about SIGs can be found at http://snomed.org/sigcrg. 

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SNOMED International Collaborative Space – Confluence

Confluence is an online forum/space where the people within IHTSDO SNOMED International Governance and Advisory Bodies can communicate and share information. Confluence facilitates a range of types of communications, including written discussions, meeting announcements and document sharing.

IHTSDO Members, Affiliates, or other interested parties can gain access to the Collaborative Space to learn more about IHTSDO, SNOMED CT, or to participate in a Special Interest Group. More information about Confluence is available at https://confluence.ihtsdotools.org/.page-break